Knitting machine



Sept. 29, 1959 T. D. EFLAND 2,905,109

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 19, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l ANS@ Sept. 29, 1959 T. D. EFLAND KNITTING MACHINE' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deo. 19, 1957 INVENTOR. Tho/na 5f/dndwaarna Patented Sept. 29, 1959 KNITTING MACHINE Thomas D. Eiland, Clemson, S.C., assignor to Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, Clemson, S.C., a corporation .of South Carolina Application December 19, 195,7, Serial No. 703,954

s Claims. (c1. 66-1) This invention relates to knitting machine for knitting yarns into fabric, the operation of the machine being relatively simple and there being relatively little likelihood of parts getting out of order.

Among other features of the invention is the construction of a knitting machine adapted to produce various kinds of fabrics with different designs without the use of conventional knitting needles. With .this machine, .chain or `cross-loop stitchesmay be used to produce the Ydesired fabric and yvarious filler .threads may be incorporated as desired. l i

The present invention is an improvement upon the knitting machine disclosed Vin the .co-pending application vof Hugh M. Brown, YSerial No. .687,152, filed September 3.0, 1957. The machine involves two sets .of thollow thread-conducting .guides carried .by two ,parallel knitting about the axis `of the shafts so as to move theA sets yof guides towards and away from a knitting plane, the arrangement being such ,that each set of .thread guides intersects the knitting plane at an angle thereto and the .two sets .of :thread guides are in .interleaved .relation when .In the present invention, provision is vmade .to tilt each set of thread-guides ,about an axis parallel with the supporting .knitting bar in ysuch manner ;that upon withdraw- .ing each set of -guides from `knitting position the guides are tilted towards ltheknitted fabric.

The following specification taken with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof constitutes a full disclosure of the present invention.

ln the drawings:

Fig. .l is a fragmentary lpartlydiagrammatic front elevation-of the machine;

Fig. 2 is acorresponding top view, with parts omitted.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary schematic end view taken substantially on the line'3-3of Fig. l and showing essential features of 'the invention, yincluding the arrangement -for tilting the thread-guides during operation.

Fig. 4 is a lpartly diagrammatic end view showing the arrangement for Voscillating ythe knitting vbars about the axis of the supporting rock-shafts. Y

Figs. 5a, 5b, 5c, and V5d are diagrammatic -views of ta pair vof guides, showing the steps of forming loops to make a chain of loops.

yReferring to the drawings, .a drive `shaft 10 journalled in bearings .12 having bevel `gear 14 thereon .is driven in any suitable mannenas by means of agpulley 1'6 belted to a-source of power. A cam shaft l8arranged at -right angles to the shaft r and mounted in bearings 20, is

.bars which are ,mounted upon .rock-shafts to oscillate driven from shaft 10 through gearing including a bevel gear 2 2 meshing with bevel gear 14 and mounted on shaft 23 arranged below and parallel with shaft 18, and a pinion 24 .on shaft 23 drives a gear 26 on shaft 18. Shaft 1S drives a cam 28 for shifting one set of thread guides, las will be described below.

A rock shaft 30 is slidably mounted substantially parallel to the Vdrive shaft 10 in bearings 32, for oscillating movement about .the shaft axis and reciprocating movement along the shaft axis.

A pair of arms 34-34, having hubs 36-36 fixed on .the rock shaft 30, carry at their :free ends a knitting bar 38 having one set of curved knitting guides tubes 39 mounted transversely thereon and equally spaced along .the length .of vthe bar. The rock-shaft 30 is provided with an -arm 5.6 fixed at one end thereon, and having a roller 58 at its .other end engaging a cam 60 mounted on the shaft 10, whereby the shaft 30 may be rocked to fgive ,the `bar 38 an .oscillating movement about the axis .of shaft 30.

The .bar 33 -is mounted to rock about an axis parallel with shaft 36 and parallel -with bar 38 by ymeans of rodlike gpivot extensions 40, 40 provided at the ends of the knitting .bar 38 and extending through suitable bearing .openings adjacent the -free ends of the arms 34, 34. A lever arm 42 ,is fixed at one end to one of the pivots 46 and is provided adjacent its other end with a transversely ,extending pin 44. A Atwo-arm bell-,crank lever 46 having .a'hubfl rockably mounted on the shaft 30 is provided Eat Cone tend of one arrn with aslot 50 receiving the pin .44. ,Tzheother arm .of lever 46 is provided with a roller 252 engaging a c am .54 mounted o n lthe drive shaft 10. By this arrangement, -the set of tubular thread-guides 39 aretilted about lthe axis of pivot portions 40-40 in timed relation with the rocking of the bar 38 -about the axis of On the opposite side of the .shaft .10, relative to the rock-shaft'tl, is a second rockshaft 130 which is mounted in bearings 132 parallel with shaft 3.0. A pair of arms 134, 5134 are fixed on`the rock shaft 130 and carry at `theirupper ends the knitting lbar 138 having a second set .of curved knitting guide `tubes 139 supported thereon in ythe same manner as set39 is supported on bar 38. The `knitting bar V138 is rockably `mounted on the free ends of the arms '134fby means of a vpivot extension 140 at either end of they bar kengaging in suitable bearing openings adjacent the free endsof the arms 134.

The rock-shaft 13) is provided with an arm 156 at one end thereon, and a roller engaging the cam 60 whereby theshaft i3@ may be rocked to give the bar 13S an oscillating movement about the axis of shaft 130.

A lever arm 142 is fixed at one end to one of the pivots e140 and carries at rits other end a transverse pin 144. A :two-arm .bell-crank lever 146 having a hub 148 rockably mounted o-n the shaft is provided at one end of one arm with a slot' 150 receiving the pin 144. The other arm of the lever 146 carries a roller 152 which engages the .cam 54 to rock the bar 138 about the axes of pivot portions Al4tl--14'll in timed vrelation with the rocking of kbar '1:38 about Ithe axis offshaft 130.

`In 'Figure 2 the elements 42 to 54 and 152 to 152 have been omittedifor clearness of showing of other parts.

A fcam follower 62 mounted at one end of the rock- Vshaft 39 engages the rim of cam 28 which imparts reciprocating movement to the rock-shaft 30 to effect lateral 4shifting of ythe set of vthread guides 39, as willV appear more fully below.

'A suitable spring, such as that represented by the tension spring 30a in Figure 2, applies a biasing force to ttheirockfshaft 3010 maintain thecam .follower 62 Iin contactwithgthecam 2 8 at all times. Thecamfollowers, 58, 152, and 158 may be urged toward their respective cams by any suitable biasing means normally used for this purpose.

As shown in Figure 3, yarns or threads Y, Y are supplied to tubular guides 39 and 139 respectively from a pair of beams 64 and 164. A pair of parallel guide bars 70 and 17) are arranged immediately above the point where the paths of oscillatory movement of the two sets of thread guides intersect each other, or immediately above the point where the fabric is formed or knitted. The plane passing between fabric guide bars 70 and 170 and through the point of intersection of the two sets of tubular knitting elements may be called the knitting plane. The completed fabric F is drawn between these guide bars by a pair of draw-oifrollers 68 and 168 arranged above the frabric guide bars 70 and 170.

In passing from the beams 64 and 164 to the two sets of thread guides 39 and 139 respectively, the yarns Y and Y pass over fixed guide rods 66 and 166, and then under movable guide rods 66' and 166 which are mounted for pivotal turning about the axes of rods 66 and 166 respectively and serve to maintain the yarns under tension during knitting operation.

In operation of the machine, yarns Y, Y are led through the guides 39 and 139 and are clamped by the fabric take-up rolls 68 and 168, and are kept under tension by bars 66 and 166 as explained above. The cam 54 is arranged to operate followers 50 and 56 in cycles approximately 180 apart, so that the tubular guides 39 and 139 alternately execute identical angular movements about the axes of rock-shafts 30 and 130 respectively.

The operation is such that one set of thread guides remains substantially stationary in its lower position, intersecting the knitting plane, While the other set moves into interleaved relation with the rst set, and then on the next portion of the knitting cycle the second set of guides is held stationary in a position intersecting the knitting plane while the first set is moved into interleaved relation with the guides of the second set.

The knitting opertaion may be explained by reference to Figures 5a to 5d. As represented in Figure 5a, guides 139 are in a lower position intersecting the knitting plane, while guides 39 are in an upper position ready to move downwardly and across the knitting plane. Yarns Y from guides 39 pass through loops (a) previously formed in yarns Y but which have not yet been pulled up tight, and then pass in the form of loops (b) around guides 139 up to the fabric F. The yarns Y from the ends of guides 139 pass up to the fabric F where they form the loops (a) which will be pulled up tight by the further downward movement of the guides 139, or by the tension rod 166.

Guides 39 move downwardly until the tips enter into the spaces between yarn sections Ya, but not far enough to enter into the spaces between the guides 139. At this point, rock-shaft 30 is moved or shogged to shift the guides 39 laterally against yarn sections Ya a distance sufficient to allow the guide 39 to enter into the spaces between guides 139, and then the guides 39 are moved further downwardly and across the knitting plane towards the position shown in Figure 5b, thus looping the yarn sections Ya about the guides 39. Following this, guides 139 are moved upwardly and backwardly to drop or castoff the loops (b) which then are drawn up tight by the further downward movement of the guides 39, leaving loops (c) in yarns Y remaining on the guides 39.

Guides 39 now remain stationary while the set of guides 139 are moved downwardly and forwardly into overlapping relation with the yarn sections Ya and then guides 39 are shogged in the proper direction to permit the guides 139 to enter into the spaces between the guides 39 and the yarn sections Ya. Following this, the guides 39 are withdrawn to drop or cast-off the loops (c).

The operation just described forms loops in each yarn. For the purpose of connecting the loops in adjacent yarns to form a fabric, shogging cam 28 is formed so that thread guides 39 are shogged rst in one direction and then in the other on alternate cycles, and the resulting pattern in the fabric can be varied by controlling the amount of such shogging movement to cover two or more thread-guide spaces. Such movement causes an interconnection of the individually formed chains of loops.

It will be noted that two sets of knitting tubes are mounted on knitting bars 38 and 138 in such position that they are inclined to the knitting plane by an acute angle when they move across that plane. This ensures that yarn sections Ya and Ya running from the tips of the knitting tubes to the fabric F will be angularly spaced from the supply tubes so that these sections may be engaged by the end portions of the other set of tubes and moved laterally without mechanical interference or contact between the two sets of tubes.

It will be understood that the yarns in Figures 5a to 5d are shown in loose loops and reaches for the purposes of explanation. In actual operation the loops would be pulled up tight and the reaches would be straight.

During the time that the kniting bars 38 and 138 are being oscillated to and from knitting position by the cam 60 throughout a complete knitting cycle, the cam 54 mounted on the same shaft with the cam 60 oscillates the bars 38 and 138 about the axes of the pivoting extensions 40 and 140. By proper design of cam 54, it is possible to control the angle at which the thread guides enter the knitting plane, and the angle at which they are withdrawn from the knitting plane. It is desirable to design cam 54 to tilt the thread guides upwardly towards the fabric guides 70 and 170 during the time that the thread guides are being withdrawn from the knitting plane and pulled out of the yarn loops formed about them.

In Figure 4, the cam 54 and other parts for tilting the bars 38 and 138 about the axes 4040 and 140-140 have been omitted to avoid confusion in the showing of the parts which are operated by cam 60.

I claim:

l. A knitting machine comprising a pair of fabric guide-bars supported in spaced parallel relation for guiding knitted fabric in a knitting plane passing between said bars, a pair of knitting-bars arranged parallel with said guide-bars on opposite sides of said knitting plane, each knitting-bar carrying a row of tubular thread-guides mounted in spaced parallel relation on each knitting-bar and being directed towards said knitting plane, means mounting said knitting-bars for oscillatory movement towards and away from knitting positions adjacent said knitting plane, the arrangement being such that each set of thread-guides intersects said knitting plane and said two sets of thread guides are in interleaved relation when intersecting said knitting plane, means pivotally mounting each knitting bar for tilting about a pivotal axis parallel with the bar to vary the angle of the thread-guides with respect to the knitting plane, cam means for oscillating said knitting bars in timed relation to hold one set of thread guides in knitting position while moving the other set of thread guides into knitting position and then -withdrawing the first set of thread guides from knitting position, and second cam means operated in timed relation with said irst cam means for tilting said knitting bars Y about their pivotal axes in timed relation with the oscillation of said bars into and out of knitting position.

2. A knitting machine comprising a pair of rock-shafts mounted for rocking movement in spaced parallel relation, a pair of knitting bars mounted upon said rockshafts respectively in parallel relation to each other and to said rock-shafts and being subject to the rocking movements of said shafts to move into and out of knitting positions, a row of tubular thread-guides mounted in spaced parallel relation on each knitting bar and being positioned so that the two sets of thread guides intersect a knitting plane in interleaved relation when said bars move into knitting positions, means pivotally mounting each knitting bar for tilting about a pivotal axis parallel with the bar to vary the angle of the thread-guides with respect to the knitting plane, cam means for rocking said rock-shafts in timed relation to hold one set of thread-guides in knitting position while moving the other set of thread-guides into knitting position and then withdrawing the rst set of thread-guides from knitting position, and second cam means operated in timed relation with said rst cam means for tilting said knitting bars about their pivotal axes in timed relation With the oscillation of said bars into and out of knitting position.

3. A knitting machine comprising a drive shaft, a pair of rock shafts arranged parallel with said drive shaft, a pair of spaced arms mounted one at each end of each rock shaft, means for operating said rock shafts from said drive shaft to oscillate said arms toward and from each other, a knitting bar for each pair of arms having a set of tubular thread-guides mounted thereon in spaced parallel relation, pivot means mounting each bar between the free ends of the respective pairs of arms so that each bar may tilt about a pivotal axis parallel with the bar and spaced from the supporting rock-shaft, oscillating lever means journalled for oscillation on each rock-shaft,` means on said drive shaft for operating said oscillating lever means, and a lever Xed at one end on each of said knitting bars, the other end thereof engaging the oscillating lever means carried by the corresponding rock-shaft and being oscillated thereby.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 53,530 Goodman Mar. 27, 1866 2,148,517 Wesseler Feb. 28, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 510,123 France Aug. 3, 1920 526,661 Great Britain Sept. 23, 1940 679,296 Germany July 13, 1939 

